Q. Consider the following statements regarding “Indigo Revolt”:
1. Europeans forced the Bengal peasants to grow indigo crop on their land.
2. It was led by Debendranath & Satyendranath Tagore.
3. The revolt didn’t get any support from Bengali intelligentsia.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: A
Notes:
In Bengal, the indigo planters, nearly all Europeans, exploited the local peasants by forcing them to grow indigo on their lands instead of the more paying crops like rice.
- The planters forced the peasants to take advance sums and enter into fraudulent contracts which were then used against the peasants.
- The anger of the peasants exploded in 1859 when, led by Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas of Nadia district.
- They decided not to grow indigo under duress and resisted the physical pressure of the planters and their lathiyals (retainers) backed by police and the courts.
- The Bengali intelligentsia played a significant role by supporting the peasants’ cause through newspaper campaigns, organisation of mass meetings, preparing memoranda on peasants’ grievances and supporting them in legal battles.
Source: Spectrum Modern India.
